Strategic Co-Teaching in Your School: Using the Co-Design Model

As a school leader, you probably know about the benefits of co-teaching in inclusive classrooms—and maybe your school already puts it into practice. Now there's a book that helps your school take collaborative teaching and learning to the next level, so educators benefit from each other's expertise and all students succeed and meet their goals.

This book gives you a detailed, step-by-step guide to the research-based Co-Design Model, an innovative, schoolwide approach used in districts nationwide to strengthen collaboration and inclusion. Going far beyond typical co-teaching models focused only on instruction, the proven Co-Design Model works because it

• targets nine areas essential to inclusive, collaborative education
• creates a powerful network of support for teachers and administrators
• improves all students' access to the general curriculum and highly qualified teachers
• ensures appropriate instruction in the least restrictive environment
• makes the most of each educator's background knowledge and skill sets
• promotes trust, open dialogue, and parity between teaching partners
• improves classroom management and creates a sense of community
• increases student engagement and reduces off-task behavior

With the in-depth guidance, real-life success stories, and helpful forms and checklists in this book, you'll have what you need to implement the Co-Design Model. You'll also get dedicated chapters on four proven "pathways" that support the model: co-teaching, differentiated instruction, technology and scaffolding. Each chapter examines one pathway in detail and gives you strategies for promoting collaborative practices across grade levels and content areas.

Start putting the Co-Design Model to work in your school, and you'll see the benefits of truly inclusive, collaborative education: enhanced teacher performance and higher achievement for all students.

Richael Barger-Anderson, Ed.D., is Associate Professor of Special Education at Slippery Rock University and consultant at Keystone Educational Consulting Group, LLC, in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

Robert S. Isherwood, Ed.D., is Assistant Professor of Special Education at Slippery Rock University and consultant at Keystone Educational Consulting Group, LLC, in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

Joseph Merhaut, Ed.D., is Assistant Professor and Chair in the Department of Special Education at Slippery Rock University and consultant at Keystone Educational Consulting Group, LLC, in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.